Maria Coassin is passionate about gelato. Not just its creamy texture, distinctive flavorings or even the specialty ingredients she imports from around the world: Madagascar vanilla, Sicilian pistachios, couverture chocolate from Tanzania.

Coassin loves the science of it. As the founder of Gelatiamo, Seattle’s first gelateria, Coassin revels in the precise balance that must exist among solids, liquids and air to make the perfect gelato.

Gelatiamo, Seattle's first gelateria, opened its doors in 1996. In 2015, the shop was completely remodeled to feature a more minimalist decor but still be warm and inviting for customers

“Gelato is not a casual food endeavor,” she said. “Attention to detail is absolute: time, temperature, humidity. You are bringing ingredients into an environment they are not used to—a frozen environment. How do you keep the gelato soft? What makes it scoop-able? Want to add a liqueur? Then you have to lower the freezing point. You need to know your chemistry and your math. It’s a process that fascinates me to no end.”

Coassin, a native of Maniago in northeastern Italy, dedicated years to learning the art and science of gelato-making before opening Gelatiamo in 1996. A bubbly, energetic person, she created her business name by combining “gelato” with “ti amo” (I love you).

Each gelato recipe served by Gelatiamo was developed by owner Maria Coassin, using a thoughtful balance of flavor, texture and hand-selected ingredients

“When an Italian hears Gelatiamo, they know immediately what it means even though it’s a made-up word,” she said. “It’s saying: let’s eat gelato!”

The only girl in a family of seven, Coassin is descended from a long line of bakers, some 200 years of them. “The idea of starting a food business was always with me,” she said, “but I did not know it would be in gelato. My father put the idea in my head.”

Coassin met and married an American serviceman and moved to California with him in 1992. The following year, they relocated to Seattle. “My father thought the west coast would be a good place for a gelateria,” she said. “The eastern part of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where I am from, is famous for its gelato. It’s like Starbucks—one on every corner.”

To accommodate Gelatiamo's growing commercial trade, owner Maria Coassin recently acquired a 2,400 square foot facility in south Seattle--plenty of space for offices, kitchen staff and two large walk-in freezers

Although intrigued by the idea, Coassin wanted to study it more. For three-and-a-half years, she researched both the operations side, from equipment to marketing, and the creative side where she learned how to develop her own signature recipes.

“My father connected me to some of the best gelato makers in Italy,” she said. “One of them, Pino Scaringella, remains my mentor today. From them, I learned the difference between making gelato and developing recipes. It’s this knowledge that gives me an edge over almost everyone else in the business locally.”

During the research phase, Coassin traveled to Italy frequently, taking courses, serving apprenticeships, and getting her hands dirty, literally. “I learned every part of the business,” she said. “I served the gelato, I cleaned the tables, I swept the floors. Failure was not an option. If I was going to invest my life savings and my family’s support as well, I had to succeed.”

One day, Coassin saw a story on TV about a building tile that had crashed to the sidewalk below. Although the structure was half-hidden by scaffolding, she could see the building was on a corner with windows on two sides, had a southwest exposure and enjoyed a wide sidewalk perfect for outdoor seating. “I immediately thought: that’s my shop! It had everything I needed.”

In 1996, downtown Seattle was still a bit rough around the edges. “Gelatiamo is located at Third and Union, but I used to call it Third and Hell,” Coassin joked. Not only did she have to contend with drug dealers and dirty syringes, but also with customers who had no idea what she was selling.

“People thought it was a cream cheese spread for bagels,” said Coassin. “Others thought it had something to do with Jell-O. It was a real education process.”

Luckily, within a few years, both the neighborhood and the sophistication level improved. Benaroya Hall, home to the Seattle Symphony, opened a block away and the upscale restaurant Wild Ginger moved in across the street. Today, the area is full of shops, restaurants and plenty of customers who know a good gelato when they taste one.

There are 100 recipes in the Gelatiamo repertoire; 16 of them are featured daily, each made fresh, from scratch, in small batches. Coassin creates each recipe herself, using the best ingredients, such as seasonal fruit, organic milk and specialty ingredients from around the globe.

Not surprisingly, chocolate is a top-seller, followed by coconut and stracciatella. Although the classical flavors remain popular, Coassin continues to pioneer new recipes. She’s used local lavender, honey, rhubarb, even a hint of mojito. With Pike Place Brewery, she created a chocolate stout gelato, and with Elysian Brewery, she’s made Punkucchino, a pumpkin, coffee and beer gelato that’s a fall favorite.

Gelatiamo also offers cakes, cookies and pastries using traditional recipes handed down from the Coassin family of bakers. “There is not another shop in town that offers the variety of desserts that I do,” said Coassin. “I was trained in my family’s bakery so I focus on northern Italian recipes. I don’t have cannoli or sfogliatella like they make in Sicily. That is not my heritage.”

The shop sells beautifully decorated gelato cakes in a variety of flavors and sizes, and semifreddo and gelato novelties, such as bonbons and gelato pops. Her team of 24 is busy every day creating products for both retail and wholesale customers. Last year, she acquired a new production facility in south Seattle to accommodate her expanding commercial sales, which make up half of her business.

Knowing your ingredients and keeping that perfect balance might be the key to making a great gelato, but for Coassin, being able to bring a little bit of her hometown to downtown Seattle makes it even more worthwhile.